Hi
I am looking to upgrade the audio in my Mk2.5. The car will be track day focused so I don’t want to spend too much on audio equipment.
I’m thinking:
Anyone done anything similar or have any words of advice before I start pulling the interior apart? Thanks in advance for any words of advice.
Not done exactly the same but some words might help. Just changed the head unit in a mk2. Firstly as you’re going track based don’t spend any more. The oem speakers are very average so even this much on a head unit won’t get it’s best. More spend on speakers probably not worth it for a track car.
Is your existing head single DIN? If so great. Before going to buy take the existing head out and take a pic of the factory connectors. There are several different factory connectors and maybe not always which you’d think. Converters from the Pioneer to the factory are all available, Halfords have most they’re just about £10 there rather than £3 on the Bay. Some of the factory harnesses have a separate earth wire to remember and you may need an adapter for the aerial but probably not. Cheap if so. Other than that all you’ll probably have to do is fiddle removing the old radio cage and easily fit the new one. Maybe stick a mic for phone use on top of the steering cowl and feed through to the centre. Easy and not particularly time consuming.
If the current is double DIN then changing to single is more complex as there’s a slot to fill up.
Hi this should quite an easy swap for you. I put a similar head unit in my Mk1, I routed the mic up the passenger side A post after removing it’s plastic trim cover. (Carefully prise it off, see threads elsewhere on the forum). I then partially detached the header rail trim and routed the mic wiring under that so that the mic now appears beside the hinge for the driver’s side sun visor. It works pretty well but people I speak with say that there is some wind noise with the roof down. I also routed the DAB radio aerial up the A post, I trial fitted it with some sellotape to make sure it would fit. It’s really important that you get a good earth to the a post, so rub off some of the paint before applying the aerial receiver plate. Make sure before you stick the plate to the windscreen that you’ve left enough room to refit the A post trim, you only get one chance; it‘S SUPER STICKY!!
I personally would fit better speakers in the doors, no point in having a decent DAB radio and crap speakers, this isn’t a difficult job either. Wind the window down into the door, take all the screws out of the items on the door cards, door handles and trims and such like, the speaker grills should be attached to the back of the door cards and come off with them if that makes sense. If you have manual windows you will need to take the window winders off, look between the back of the winder and the door card and you’ll find a thin metal wire spring clip, pull it out using either a thin screwdriver or a pair of needle nose pliers. (put the clip back into the winder now or you’ll bloomin loose it, like I did!) The winders just push back on when re assembling. The door card is held in place by loads of little plastic trim clips, you can get a special fork like tool to prise the clip from the door frame, alternatively use the broadest blade slotted screwdriver you have and insert it betweven the door card and door frame and ping them all off. You may damage a few, off to the scrap yard then and retrieve some from another car, their universal so you’ll find them on virtually all makes and models of car. Now ease the door card up and off the door cill, it might need a bit of “persuasion”! The speakers will be screwed in place, the terminals will be a fat and a thin spade connector. Not rocket science! As they say in all the Heynes manuals refitting is the reversal of this process!
Cheers!
Russ
wow guys, thanks for these replies. Both really helpful and encouraging. I might think about getting better speakers but for now getting DAB and Bluetooth are the priorities. I will see whether there are any deals on this audio unit or something similar this coming weekend and hopefully fit during January.
No bother. Take a look in a very large online retailers warehouse deals there are some good ones in at the moment with 20% off the price at checkout.
Can you recommend any double din models?
I’m considering upgrading the standard unit in my 2.5
I think I’d look at either:
Used will bring it down around £90
or:
That should come own under £200, Personally I got a Pioneer Bluetooth but no DAB for £23 lol for my mk2 but that was single DIN.